UC Baseball wins three sequence of video games towards Western Michigan College | Sports activities

The University of Cincinnati baseball team defeated Oakland University 18-0 in their home game at Marge Schott Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday, February 28, 2020.

The University of Cincinnati (UC) baseball team defeated the Western Michigan University Broncos in a three-game series last weekend. The Bearcats have prevailed in three tight competitions to improve their record to 6-7.

Game one

In the first game of the weekend, UC beat the Broncos 5-1. Bearcat ace Evan Shawver continued his dominance to start the season, hurling seven innings to bring his earned run average down to a measly 1.17. In his longest start to the season, the junior hit eight without running a batsman.

The Bearcats wasted no time getting on the board when right fielder Jake Murray started a solo home run in the first inning. The Bearcats never looked back, adding insurance runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings.

Along with Murray, Wyatt Stapp and Griffin Merritt led the offensive for UC, combining six of the Bearcats’ eleven hits.

Game two

The Bearcats continued their victories on Saturday, defeating Western Michigan 7-5. In contrast to the first match, the Broncos were the first to strike in the second game. The Broncos took advantage of three first inning walks from UC starter Dean McCarthy and took one on a single from first baseman Sean O’Keefe.

The Bearcats wasted no time on their comeback and regained the lead in the lower part of the frame. After third baseman Eric Santiago finished second via a lead-off double and stole third, first baseman Ryan Nicholson drove him home on a sacrificial flight into midfield to level the result. After Merritt encountered a mistake one punch later, Stapp made the Broncos pay for their mistake by bringing home shortstop Joey Bellini, who ran earlier in the picture.

In the second round, McCarthy continued to struggle with his control, allowing the first two hits to take a walk and be hit with bad luck. After a major sacrifice, second baseman Justin McIntyre laced one field from left to left and drove both runners home to give the Broncos a 3-2 lead.

After leaving the bases loaded in the second run, the Bearcats hit back in the third run in a two-part home run by Stapp, giving them a 4-3 lead that they would never give up. After McCarthy was drawn in the third inning, the Bearcat bullpen held Western Michigan goalless until the ninth inning, but a late two-run Bronco home run wasn’t enough as UC secured a streak win.

Game three

The Bearcats broke their brooms on Sunday, beating the Broncos 5-4 to claim their first straight win of the year. Western Michigan jumped starter Garrett Schoenle for four runs in the first four innings and led to fifth place 4-2.

UC pushed through an RBI groundout from Murray to cut the deficit in half before taking the lead in the sixth.

After two quick starts, the Bearcats pounced on Bronco reliever Dane Crossbow Maker. Second baseman Jace Mercer scored a brace despite a 2-0 drop and moved up to second in a wild field. Catcher Tanner Holen followed with a triple-to-center field, scoring Mercer and knotting the game at four. A punch later, midfielder, Cole Harting drove a single through the left side to give the Bearcats a head start that they would hold for the rest of the game.

Once again, the Bearcat bullpen imprisoned Western Michigan bats. Jalen Wade, Drake Batcho and Zach Segal combined five innings to close the door and seal the win.

What’s next

The Bearcats will try to extend their winning streak against the Xavier Musketeers in one set of four games. Each team will host two games as part of the Crosstown rivalry. Xavier is limping into the series after losing seven of his last eight competitions, a trend they will break against UC.